The Google is warning users that, from September 27, you can no longer log in to their YouTube accounts, Gmail and Maps on devices with Android 2.3.7 (Gingerbread) or earlier.
In all, the operating system is used by more than 3 billion devices worldwide, according to Google’s vice president of product management, Sameer Samat. However, as the affected versions are already a decade old, the trend is that a reduced number of users will be affected by the change.
Google is asking users to update device systems. (Source: Bleeping Computer/Playback)Source: Bleeping Computer/Playback
Once the company stops providing login support for devices with accounts running versions of Android released before December 2010, the user will begin to receive username or password errors. In addition, operations such as adding, creating or removing Google account, as well as disconnecting the account from all devices, cannot be performed.
How to update Android system
More than 3 billion devices run the Android operating system. (Source: Pixabay/iXimus/Reproduction)Source: Pixabay/iXimus/Reproduction
In order not to lose access to the company’s services on their mobile phones or tablets, users should update their devices to the latest operating system versions (3.0 or later) as soon as possible. The latest stable version of the system is Android 11, released last year on September 8, 2020.
If you’ve already been notified that a system update is available on devices with Android 2.3.7 or lower, you just need to tap the notification to start the system update process. If the alert has been dismissed or has not appeared, the following steps must be followed:
1. Open your phone’s settings app.
2. Near the bottom, tap System and then Advanced System Update.
3. You will see your update status. Follow the steps on the screen.
If your smartphone does not support newer versions of Android and is affected by the change, Google points out that it will still be possible to log in to the services using a browser.